Ye & Ty Dolla $ign Sued By Producers Who Say A Beat Sent By Text Became “Vultures” With No License And No Pay
Two producers have taken Ye and Ty Dolla $ign to federal court, claiming a song they texted over for a possible collaboration became “Vultures” — with no license, no deal, and no pay.
Jae Deal and Marlon “Marlonwiththeglasses” Barrow filed the copyright complaint in federal court in California, naming Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Yeezy Record Label LLC, Yeezy LLC and Create Music Group as defendants. The case centers on “Joint 2,” a recording and composition the two producers say they created together in November 2018 and own in equal shares.
According to the 24-page complaint, Ty Dolla $ign heard the music playing during a phone call with Barrow, a longtime friend and collaborator. He asked to visit Barrow’s studio and later requested a copy for a possible album. Barrow sent an MP3 by text — but, the producers say, he deliberately held back the stems and the higher-quality files until the two sides signed an agreement covering use of the music.
They allege Ty then shared the MP3 with Ye, and that versions of “Vultures” reached commercial platforms in November 2023 before any licensing deal was negotiated.
The complaint puts the outcome in plain terms: “Barrow was accorded a producer credit, but received no compensation whatsoever. Deal was never accorded a producer credit nor paid any compensation whatsoever.”
The producers say the fight started before the albums even landed. They describe takedown requests in December 2023 and a January 2024 discussion with producer 88-Keys, whom the complaint identifies as Yeezy’s head of music, where Deal says he made clear he had not assigned his rights or been paid. The complaint alleges the music was used again anyway — on the Vultures Pack EP, including the “Havoc Version,” and on Vultures 1.
Deal also says he rejected a buyout offer in October 2024 — the complaint does not say for how much — and kept demanding credit and compensation. The dispute also reaches a July 9, 2025 copyright registration, which the producers allege left Deal off as an author and falsely claimed Barrow had transferred his rights by contract. They say no signed transfer agreement exists.
Bloomberg Law, reporting on the filing, says the complaint ties the project to more than $100 million in Yeezy merchandise. Deal and Barrow are asking for a jury trial, actual damages and profits tied to the alleged infringement (or statutory damages instead), plus injunctions blocking further use of their work.
“This action is not only about unpaid licensing fees and the lack of appropriate credit,” the complaint states, “but also about the essential right of any artist to determine when, how, and by whom their creative work is used.”
The filing is the latest in a line of disputes around the Vultures era. Donna Summer’s estate settled with Ye in 2024 over “Good (Don’t Die),” which was removed from Vultures 1, and a different producer sued in August over separate work connected to Vultures 2 and Bully. Neither Ye nor Ty Dolla $ign has publicly commented on the new lawsuit in the reporting so far.
So here’s the question sitting under the whole case: a producer texts you a beat with no paperwork signed — if it becomes the record, who owns what?
Sources: AllHipHop (exclusive report on the federal complaint) and Bloomberg Law.
